Why vallenato music is so valuable to Colombian culture?

What are the four airs of vallenato music?

1. Puya

History tells us that natives from La Guajira were trying to simulate the sound of birds when this rhythm was born. It shares some characteristics with merengue, but it has short and humorous verses to create an upbeat atmosphere. This is one of the fastest Colombian dances, putting the talent of the accordion player to the test.

2. Merengue

Back in the day, the most conservative interpreters believed that these sung stories should not be danced. At the heart of the merengue is the narrative, that was used in the first part of the 20^th century to tell a story. It has a strong and slow harmonic cadence, which makes it easy for dancers to follow the beat.

3. Son

This is the slowest of the four rhythms. In the words of Chiche Maestre, a famous accordion player, “it tells stories full of nostalgia” (Semana, 2017). It is pretty similar to the paseo, but the differences are in the basses marked by the accordion, caja (similar to a snare drum), and guacharaca (an instrument often present in Colombian music). The pace must be on point: not too fast, and not too slow.

4. Paseo

It became a vallenato music air in the 1930s, so it is the youngest of the group. Rafael Escalona, one of the most renowned Colombian artists, was the main instigator, which explains why 50% of his work is made up of paseos. Its popularity comes from a flexible musical structure that is slower than merengue and puya, but less melancholic than son.

Who are the other interpreters or singers of vallenato music?

Escalona shared the arena with other legendary artists that wrote the most traditional songs of all time. For example, Alejo Durán, Leandro Díaz, Lorenzo Morales and Emiliano Zuleta.

• Alejo Durán was the winner of the first edition of the Festival de la Leyenda Vallenata in 1968. Este pedazo de acordeón, Alicia adorada and La cachucha bacana are some of his famous tunes.

• Leandro Díaz composed Matilde Lina and La diosa coronada. The latter song was used as an epithet in Gabriel García Márquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera.

• Lorenzo Morales (Moralito) and Emiliano Zuleta are the main characters of the best-known vallenato duel in history. La gota fría is the song that immortalized the tale and became popular when Carlos Vives sang it.

Vives took vallenato music with its Colombian slang to the international scene, experimenting with sounds from other regions. But before him, there was another generation of singers that also shaped a different path for this genre. Diomedes Díaz, Rafael Orozco, Iván Villazón and Jorge Oñate are just a few. Silvestre Dangond and Peter Manjarrés are known as the faces of the new wave of vallenato.

However, the UNESCO Need of Urgent Safeguarding declaration has the mission to preserve the original tradition of this music. Regional identity and the transfer of musical knowledge are at the core of the mandate. And the Festival de la Leyenda Vallenata is the most valuable asset to keep nurturing vallenato music for future generations.